Press in Sub- Continent
During and After1857
MCOM 309: Media History
The 1857 Saga and the Press
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Till May 1857 there was no change in the laws
governing the newspapers in India.
When the War broke out in May 1857, the Indi
an press had no less than, 75 years old traditi
on.
Apart from English language press, which was
largely patronized by the British ruling class, p
ress may be classified into four categories.
The 1857 Saga and the Press
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English and vernacular press that enjoyed full
support and patronage of East India Company,
their officers and other English citizens, and w
as playing its role accordingly.
Jam-i Jahan Numa, Fawa’id al-Nadrin, Qiran
al-Sa’adayn, Koh-i -Noor, Qadar al-Akhbar,
Kurrachi Advertiser, Lahore Chronicle and The
Panjabee are only a few to mention.
The 1857 Saga and the Press
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Those English, Bengali, Persian and other language new
spapers, which were founded by educated Indians, like
Raja Ram Mohan Rai, Dawarka Nath Tegore, Hari Dutt an
d many others.
Their reformist press was different from that of Delhi and
adjoining areas.
These nationalist Indians used their press with a complet
e understanding of the changing political economic and
cultural environment with major focus on development of
society and the people.
The 1857 Saga and the Press
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There were some Urdu newspapers that were supported
by the rulers and Nawabs of Indian States,
Mostly these newspapers pleased the newspaper owners
or to make use of them for achieving certain goals.
For example, Raja of Nepal, supported Banaras Gazette.
Madhur-al-Suroor of Bharat Pur, Gawaliar Gazette and
Bagh-o-Bahar, Banaras come in this category.
Those Urdu and Persian newspapers which were coming
out from the areas where war actually broke out, like Del
hi and adjoining areas, Lukhnow, Agra and Banaras.
Enforcement of the Gagging
Act 1857
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Promulgated by the Governor General Lord Canning on 1
3th June 1857, a new press regulation was imposed in w
hole of the India as an immediate result of the 1857 upri
sing.
According to the new law, all the newspapers have to ge
t license before their inception.
government of East India Company was determined to c
urtail the press freedom to make the native rebellious pre
ss under control.
Anglo-Indian press started campaigning against the Mus
lims and demanded their literal extermination and exclusi
on from all government posts.
Enforcement of the Gagging
Act 1857
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According to one source, the Urdu press of India, before
the War of Independence, was consisted of 103 newspa
pers including printing presses.
In 1853 the number of Urdu newspapers was thirty-five
which, in 1858, came down to only twelve,
Out of which there were six old and six new newspapers
;
And out of these twelve, the editor of only one newspap
er was a Muslim.
Reporting the War: Some Reflecti
ons from Urdu and Persian
Newspapers
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Dilli Urdū Akhbar of Moulvi Mohammad Baqar, who was s
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entenced to death by the British rulers on charges of su
pporting the mutiny, is said to play the most courageous
role during the War.
This newspaper, that earlier had a very careful tone, see
med completely changed once the revolt started.
The text of the paper that contained the news of revolt b
egan with the verses of Holy Quran
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Reporting the War: Some Reflecti
ons from Urdu and Persian
Newspapers
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Editor declared:
“The mighty rulers whose strength, rule and administrati
on, could not even imagine of the downfall, it did happe
n in the blink of an eye … Most of the people still think w
hether this all has happened or they are still in a state of
dream.”
In the subsequent text the editor gave an objective eye
witness account of the events that took place on 11th M
ay 1857 in Delhi.
The paper continued to publish the contents that reflecte
d different dimensions of the revolt; these contents were
filled with anti-English sentiments.
Reporting the War: Some Reflecti
ons from Urdu and Persian
Newspapers
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Following are the extracts of the news items published in
the issue of 24th May:
Kol: It has been heard that four companies of Kol appear
ed before the king after disgracing the English, killing ev
ery Englishman they came across and allowed the peopl
e to loot the treasury and the public looted it thoroughly
and everyone grabbed what he would catch hold of.
Lucknow: It is reported that in Lucknow Englishman suff
ered the way they feared. It is also rumoured that the bro
ther of the deposed king who was known to be mad has
occupied the throne and the state is being ruled in his n
ame.
Reporting the War: Some Reflecti
ons from Urdu and Persian
Newspapers
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Sadiq al-Akhbar while supporting the revolt also publish
ed fatwa of 35 Ulema in which fight against British was o
penly declared as Jihad.
After the War of Independence the editor of Sadiq al-Ak
hbar, Jamiluddin Khan, was arrested on charges of misr
eporting against the Government and was sentenced to j
ail for three years.
Reporting the War
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Persian and Urdu newspapers of that era played a vital r
ole in creating and forming anti-British public opinion, e
ven prior to the War.
When the war finally broke out, their tone became even
bitter against the policies of the East India Company and
expression of dissent and discontent became louder.
The content of almost all the Persian newspapers are fo
und to be filled with disclosures of the ruler’s wrongdoin
gs.
Mah‘alam Afroz, AÍsan al-Akhbār and A’inah-i Sikandri a
re the few other newspapers of this cadre.
These had to pay very heavy prices in the form of forcibl
e closures, trials and punitive action even life sentences.
Tone of the press after 1857
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Government seemed to have given official patronage an
d subsidies to a few loyal papers which were there to av
ail themselves of the opportunity.
Great rebellion of 1857 had impacted Urdu journalism in
terms of number of publication, volume of circulation an
d content.
While some new Urdu papers appeared during this perio
d, a much larger number ceased publication.
The number of publications dropped from 35 in 1853 to
12 in 1858.
Major Newspaper
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Some major papers like the Oudh Akhbar Lucknow;
the Scintific Gazette, Aligarh,
the Tahazib-ul- Akhlaq,Aligarh;
the Oudh Punch, Lucknow;
the Akmalul Akhbar, Delhi;
the Punjab Akhbar, Lahore;
the Shamsul Akhbar, Madras;
the Kashful Akhbar, Bombay;
the Qasim-ul-Akhbar, Bangalore and the
Asiful Akhbar Hyderabad.
Oudh Akhbar
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Launched in 1858 from the Naval Kishore Press in Luck
now, Oudh Akhbar was the most lucrative journalistic ve
nture.
At a time when most Urdu papers were short-lived, it re
mained in circulation up to the year 1950, its life span of
almost a century covering a crucial period in the history
of colonial India.
Oudh Akhbar lived long and was soon converted into a d
aily.
It shot into great prominence under the editorship of Rat
an Nath'Sarshar'.
Oudh Akhbar
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Oudh Akhbar is credited with having “launched the care
er of one of the most important prose fiction writers in U
rdu Ratan Nath Sarshar who, in turn, brought about the h
eyday of the paper’s fame.
Aim of newspaper was to work towards the progress and
welfare of India by informing and educating the Indian p
ublic through a broad news coverage.
Yet at the same time the paper also assumed the functio
n of a literary journal.
It promoted both poetry and prose writing, covered litera
ry events, announced new publications and provided a f
orum for literary debate.